Distribution and partition of endocrine disrupting compounds in water and sediment: Case study of the Romagna area (North Italy)

The study aimed to assess the occurrence and partitioning of estrogens (ß-estradiol, E2; estrone, E1; 17α-ethinylestradiol, EE2), phenolic compounds (nonylphenol, NP; octylphenol, OP; bisphenol A, BPA) and perfluorinated compounds (perfluorooctanoic acid, PFOA; perfluorooctane sulfonate, PFOS) in waters and sediments of the main rivers and the coastal lagoon of Pialassa Baiona, in the north-eastern part of Italy. Overall, water samples showed a wide distribution of the three classes of compounds in the study area, with the exception of estrogens which recorded only some local detections, at concentrations <10 ng/L. Sediments were found to be affected only by contamination of phenolic chemicals, namely BPA and NP, whereas perfluorinated compounds were almost undetected (<LOQ) in all sampling stations. Estrogens displayed only some local measurements in sediments, in accordance with water results. BPA and NP in sediments were highly correlated with organic carbon content and were dependent on the grain size of sediments. The greatest partition coefficients were registered in the coastal lagoon, proving that salinity enhances phenolic adsorption onto sediments. Globally, based on estrogenicity data taken from literature, the current environmental concentrations of the different chemicals in the study area are not likely to cause adverse estrogenic effects on the aquatic biota.